Karla Hult talks jump into politics

You're waking up with Fox 9 Morning News. Welcome back. Following election results this week, there will be dozens of new lawmakers moving into offices at our state capitol for the very first time for both the House and the Senate. Dozens of districts voting in new representation, and that includes Senate District 50, excuse me, which covers part of Edina and Bloomington. Senator-elect Carla Holt joins us, which is a little surreal, as we were just talking about, because... I'm so used to running into you years ago out in the field reporting for CARE 11. We would run into each other in the same, you know, assignment. And here you are now about to move into the state capitol. Has it hit you yet? It has, finally, I think. I've caught up on my sleep a little bit. But I will say that there's a lot of similarities, right, between journalism and public service and that journalism is a pillar of our democracy as well. And so in some ways, it feels very... There's synergy in that it's very natural and organic to make this change, but yeah, it's also a little surreal. As you're stepping back here into a studio, talk a little bit about, you know, you've been out there talking with voters, you've been going door to door, especially in your Senate District 50, yes, but for the rest of the state now that is going to get to know you, what are you looking forward to working on first? Right, and to be clear, so I feel like I've been listening to Minnesotans and talking to Minnesotans for decades. That's what we do as journalists, and so... This last year, obviously, I've focused a lot on Senate District 50, Bloomington, and Edina. And what we've heard from them, and this is pretty much collectively, is that people are struggling. There is an issue with affordability. People are struggling to cover the cost of their groceries for their rent and their mortgage. And certainly, they're also looking at, you know, how do I deal with senior care, child care, health care? So all of these issues are top of mind. And then also, of course, here in the state of Minnesota, people want accountability. And our government, fortunately, we're doing that already. But it's all those kind of kitchen table issues that we've been hearing about. And then on top of that, the more existential kind of democracy-related issues. And we in Minnesota... Have been on the front line of that very fight and that very challenge, which is really why I answered this calling and transitioned from being a journalist to really drawing in all of these voices and all of these perspectives to address the challenges of this moment. So those are some of the things. But, you know, collectively as a caucus, as a DFL caucus, we're looking at being ambitious at taking this on, obviously, and being very thoughtful about how we take it on. And remind us what the process looks like. Like, I mean, the elections were Tuesday. Tuesday. Yes. But you're already jumping into things very quickly. We already jump into being in the Capitol as a caucus and the Republicans do the same. And it's great that we can all be in the same building at some point and really try to engage meaningfully on these issues that affect every single Minnesotan family. So what it looks like is, of course, we go through some of the leadership votes and we go through some of the logistics, if you will, of becoming the next Senate for the Minnesota Senate. And then we go into, OK, these are the The paramount topics, again, that people are talking about, that people want some progress on, gun safety is another really huge issue that we as a state could not get across the finish line during the last session. That will be something that we definitely revisit and we want to take action on. And I think we're just, again, it's a thoughtful process. It's also one that always includes Minnesotans. So whether as a journalist and certainly as a lawmaker now, it is wanting to listen to people. What is... What would make a difference in your life and in the lives of your neighbors, your friends, and your family members? And that's really what we will do. And so it's kind of an organic process that goes through all of the motions, initially setting up, getting those logistics down, and then going into the next steps of getting into our caucuses, getting into our committees, and starting to draw up some new legislation. Yeah, and we know the topic of guns is something that Senator Amy Klobuchar vocalized this week as well. All right, Senator-elect Carla Holt, I am getting used to it. Just saying that. We'll be watching, so best of luck with everything. Thank you. I so appreciate it.